Quantitative data & its analysis

Question 1

What is quantitative data?

Answer 1

Data in the form of numbers

Question 2

What is an example of quantitative data in social psychology?

Answer 2

In Milgram’s 1963 obedience study 65% of ppts administered the 450V shock

Question 3

What are 3 strengths of quantitative data?

Answer 3

1) Quan data is objective meaning the data is the same to everyone so no subjectivity
2) Quan data is easy to compare
3) Quan data is simple so can be summarised quickly

Question 4

What is a weakness of quantitative data?

Answer 4

Reductionist as it simplifies too much so may lack validity

Question 5

What are the 3 measures of central tendancy?

Answer 5

• Mean
• Mode
• Median

Question 6

What is the mean?

Answer 6

The average of the set of scores

Question 7

What is a strength of the mean value?

Answer 7

Representative of all the data in the set

Question 8

What is a weakness of the mean value?

Answer 8

Easily distorted by extreme values

Question 9

What is the mode?

Answer 9

The most frequent score in the set

Question 10

What is a strength of the mode value?

Answer 10

Easy to calculate

Question 11

What is a weakness of the mode value?

Answer 11

Not representative of all data

Question 12

What is the median?

Answer 12

The central score

Question 13

What are 2 strengths of the median value?

Answer 13

Easy to calculate
Not affected by extreme scores

Question 14

What is a weakness of the median value?

Answer 14

Extreme values may be important and they are ignored in the median value

Question 15

What are the 2 measures of dispersion?

Answer 15

• Range
• Standard deviation

Question 16

What is the range?

Answer 16

The difference between the two ends of a set of scores

Question 17

What are 2 strengths of the range value?

Answer 17

• Shows extreme scores
• Easy to calculate

Question 18

What are 2 weaknesses of the range value?

Answer 18

• Doesn’t include all the data in the set
• Does not show if numbers are close to the mean

Question 19

What is standard deviation?

Answer 19

More sophisticated way of looking at the mean

Question 20

How do we calculate standard deviation?

Answer 20

1) Calculate the mean (x̄)
2) For each data item (x), subtract the mean from the data item (x - x̄) and square the result
3) Add up all the new results
4) Divide this number by n - 1 (n = number of values)
5) Work out the square root

Question 21

What are 2 strengths of standard deviation?

Answer 21

• Precise measure of dispersion
• Includes all the data in the set

Question 22

What is a weakness of standard deviation?

Answer 22

Can be distorted by an extreme value

Question 23

How can quantitative data be represented?

Answer 23

• Bar charts
• Histograms